


Coming Home

by Annie_Uchiha



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 04:54:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14866994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annie_Uchiha/pseuds/Annie_Uchiha
Summary: Hi everyone, this is my very first work I've posted in Ao3. I hope you like it!





	Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, this is my very first work I've posted in Ao3. I hope you like it!

                 I was so nervous as I walked into the bureau. It had been eight months since I’d seen everyone and I knew they were probably all mad at me. To them I had just disappeared one day after a particularly heated argument and didn’t come back. They wouldn’t have known. I never told them the reason I left that night. But it was time. I held the bundle in my arms closer to my chest as I walked into the briefing room.

                All of them had their backs to me, their focus on something at the back of the room that I couldn’t see. When I cleared my throat, however, they all seemed to turn at once. Faces displaying confusion, surprise, hurt and anger all looked at me and I gave a small smile before speaking.

                “Hey, guys.” I said softly.

                “Lauren?” Penelope whispered from the back of the group.

                I smiled hesitantly. “Hi Penelope.”

                No one spoke for the next several seconds and I searched the faces of my family. When it looked like none of them were going to speak I continued.

                “I…owe all of you an explanation. For why I left. Especially you Aaron.” I caught his hazel gaze briefly before I averted my eyes. It hurt too much to see the betrayal there. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to be gone for so long.”

                Morgan huffed and crossed his arms. “Eight months is a long time, Lauren. You expect to just show up here and be forgiven just like that? Nuh uh.”

                “I know. Just…please let me explain.” I implored, beseeching them with my eyes to hear me out.

                “We’re listening.” Rossi said coolly.

                “I was called in for a mission. It was an emergency, I had to leave quickly. I didn’t know how many days I’d be gone so I just left a note saying I had to leave and I’d be back when I could. I realize now that could have been interpreted different than how I intended. The mission was supposed to be simple, nothing we hadn’t done before, but something went wrong and a few of us ended up getting taken. That’s where I’ve been. I’m sure you saw it on the news. I was one of the POW’s in Iran.”

                Penelope gasped and everyone else looked mildly shocked, except for Aaron who wore his usual stoic mask.

                “When they finally managed to negotiate our release a few weeks ago, I ended up on a base hospital up until yesterday when we were finally cleared to fly back to the states.”

                “Hospital?” Reid inquired.

                “Everyone was a little banged up from being kept hostage, but I had to stay longer because of this guy.” I said affectionally, shifting the baby in my arms and smiling down at him. “He decided to come a few weeks early.”

                “They kept you as a POW while you were pregnant?” Emily was incredulous.

                I nodded and chanced a glance at Aaron who looked like he was trying to hide whatever he was thinking. “They seemed to think they would get a better deal because of the baby. From what I gathered anyway.”

                “Lauren.” Emily said, shaking her head. I could tell she didn’t know what to say. I just smiled sadly at her.

                Penelope started towards me first, but then everyone but Aaron converged on me, each taking the chance to give me a hug and express their sympathies. I smiled and nodded and tried hard not to cry, but a few tears escaped when Penelope hugged me, sobbing.

                “So what’s his name?” JJ asked as everyone looked at my son, sleeping soundly.

                I looked up into her eyes and smiled. “Jason. After Gideon.”

                Morgan and Rossi chuckled, and everyone exchanged warm smiles.

                I glanced at the faces of my family and noticed one still standing apart from the rest. Aaron still stood to the side, an unexplainable look on his face. Almost like he was angry, relieved, and hurt all at once, which made sense.

                “Aaron.” I called, cutting through the chatter around me. The room grew silent as he looked over at me. “I think I owe you another apology. I said some…unkind things before I left, and while I know it doesn’t make things better, I would like you to know that I didn’t mean any of them. I was angry and upset and I took it out on you and I’m sorry. Is there any way you can forgive me?”

                His hazel eyes bore into mine, searching for something. I think he found it because he sighed and closed his eyes. “There was a voice in the back of my head telling me you wouldn’t just leave like that. But I was angry and upset too and it blinded me. I wish I had listened. Maybe we could have brought you home sooner.”

                I smiled. “I’m here now, and I’m okay.”

                He nodded.

                “Aaron?”

                “Yes?”

                I bit my lip nervously and looked him straight in the eye. “Would you…” I glanced quickly at the ground before steeling myself and locking eyes with him again. “Would you like to hold your son?”

                “What?” Morgan said from my left.

                “Oh my god.” Emily gushed.

                “You. He. Oh my god.” Penelope squealed.

                Aaron’s eyes widened in surprise and his gaze flicked from me to Jason and back a few times before he spoke. “My son?”

                “He’s yours, Aaron. I didn’t find out I was pregnant until I was already in Iran, so I’m sorry for the extra surprise.” I replied sheepishly.

                He stepped forward quickly and enveloped us both in a hug, being careful not to squish Jason between us. When he moved back I held Jason out and Aaron took him gently into his arms, a full smile on his face. My heart flipped at the sight. So many nights I had laid awake in the cell in Iran wondering if I would ever have this moment. If I would ever get to see the love of my life holding our child. If I would ever see Aaron smile again. I had been so afraid I’d never live to see it, that the tears rolled down my face before I could even think about stopping them. One night I had also promised myself that I would never let any moments pass me by because I thought I had more time. With that in mind, I uttered six words through my tears.

                “I love you so much, Aaron.” I almost thought he hadn’t heard me when he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. Someone whooped behind us, but I was too lost in the feeling of his mouth on mine to register who the voice belonged to. It had been too long since I’d felt his lips and I never wanted to stop. But he pulled away after what I thought was much too short a time and said four words to me in that calm baritone I loved so much.

                “I love you too.”


End file.
